


The Stars In Their Eyes

by Anonymous



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asexual Keith (Voltron), Bisexual Allura (Voltron), Conspiracy Theories, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gay Shiro (Voltron), Humor, Lighthearted, M/M, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Not a group chat fic, Polyamory, Probably the only happy fic I'll ever write so savor it, Romelle is not a vegan leave her alone, Trans Romelle (Voltron), broganes, grapes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-10 10:13:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15289281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Matt:TALK TO THE PERSON IN THE GREEN SWEATER KEITHWait- what?Keith:Matt who is the person in the green sweater and how do you know themMatt:i’m doing your job 4 u keith go talk to the person in the green sweaterMatt:they’re only like 12% cooler than youMatt:so it won’t be awkwardIn which Matt and Shiro try and get their younger siblings together, don't do a very good job, and just hope the two nerds start dating on their own.





	The Stars In Their Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> this is loosely based on an rp i'm doing so plot could very well be determined by that (i don't even have a plot atm i'm just writing and seeing where it goes)
> 
> have fun kids

The day finally comes that Shiro gets tired of Keith's edgy bullshit. 

Keith’s listening to MCR when this happens, which makes the whole thing even funnier. He's got his earbuds in, blaring Gerard Way’s voice loud enough that he doesn't hear Shiro asking for him, and it isn't until something whacks him in the face that he realizes he's being addressed. Keith looks up just in time to see Matt dashing out of the room before a paper airplane lands in his lap. He doesn't even get to swear at Matt because the moment the earbuds come out, Shiro begins to speak. 

“You need to go make friends,” he blurts out. Keith just blinks.

“Huh?”

Shiro's eyes roll up to the ceiling. He's making a face that screams ‘I can't believe I'm doing this.’ A few moments of silence pass, before there's a quiet “You tell him, Takashi,” from across the room, and then Adam has his nose buried in his manga again. 

Keith looks up at Shiro, back to Adam, and then to Matt, who's poking his head in through the doorway. "You want me to do what now?" He asks, looking back at Shiro.

“Make friends,” Shiro replies. "I want you to go out and talk to people. You're on your own too much.”

“And why is this a problem?”

“Because it’s not healthy! And you’re a loner!” Matt calls. Adam glares, and Matt sticks his tongue out.

“Exactly. It’s not healthy. You don’t come over and see us nearly as much as you used to, and us being your only friends isn’t good either,” Shiro explains, exasperated. “Maybe talk to some people at the gym, or some classmates, or join a club-"

"-Join the conspiracy club!" Matt cuts in.

"Join the- fucking hell, just go join the conspiracy club. They meet in the room across from the library on Fridays at seven." 

Keith raises an eyebrow at his brother and opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, and repeats this motion a few more times as he tries to figure out what exactly is going on. Shiro is sweating, Matt's got a shit-eating grin on his face, and Adam looks dead inside (More so than usual). Keith catches Adam’s eye. “What are they doing? I mean- what is Matt making my brother do?”

“I'm not allowed to tell you. Just go with it. It'll be over soon,” Adam replies. Christ, and they call him the emo one. 

Matt scoffs. “You make it sound like we're gonna torture him or something. ‘It'll all be over soon’.”

“Matthew, you're literally-”

“Ahh! Nope! Shut up-”

He gets hit with a book.

Shiro and Keith come to the silent agreement to ignore the quarrel between the two giant five year olds behind them and move on. The look on the older man’s face turns serious. “Look. You really shouldn't spend so much time on your own, Keith, it worries me sometimes. I know you talk to the three of us and that you've got your roommate, but just- look at you.” Shiro motions vaguely to the area around Keith, which consists of Cheeto dust, schoolbooks, and a black flannel. The epitome of a loner who’s only social interactions are during poetry nights at the public library. “You're locked up in here with your music on, just isolating. You could be doing your homework in a coffee shop, or with Allura or something, you know?”

Keith's not buying it. “First of all, I came to your apartment voluntarily. And second, I like being by myself, Shiro. A ‘conspiracy club’ sounds interesting, but it's clearly just a front for a very elaborate Matt Holt prank that you somehow got roped into again.”

Shiro bites his lip. “That's about 50% true. Matt is being a shit, yes. But I am still worried, and I think a good way to step out of your comfort zone would be to join a club. And it'll be easy to make friends when the people around you have the same interests as you,” Shiro says gently. As soon as he pulls out the Big Brother/Dad Voice™, Keith knows he's not winning the argument. “Again, it's just not healthy to be on your own so much.”

“What is in the room across from the library, Shiro?” Keith asks, deadpan. “Soy milk? Lies?”

“A conspiracy club that watches documentaries and talks about the moon landing being faked, probably. Keeps Bigfoot in a closet. I don’t know why this is a thing,” Shiro replies.

Keith shakes his head. “No, Shiro, Bigfoot came out of the closet.” Shiro offers no response. “I guess they’ll get a kick out of hearing that my brother and one of his boyfriends have been to the moon.”

“Well, Kerberos isn’t Earth’s moon- hey, no changing the subject. You are socializing. Conspiracy club. End of story,” Shiro gives him a look.

“But daaaaaad,” Keith whines, then sighs, deciding to just give in. “At seven you said?” he asks, tapping his watch until the screen comes to life. 6:30- that gave him half an hour. “I'll put some different clothes on and head down there, but if there's no conspiracy club and I found out I've been led into a trap, you and Matt are dead.”

“I can help with the cleanup,” Adam offers. Shiro slaps his hand over his chest, giving him a fake offended look. Adam blows a kiss.

“Have fun! Don’t get into any knife fights!” Matt says.

“No promises.”

-

The people in the conspiracy club are the exact people who you would expect to meet in a conspiracy club.

First, they’re all wearing glasses. This is not Keith stereotyping. About 80% of the people in the room are wearing giant, chunky glasses. A good third of them also have pride pins on their backpacks, and there’s someone in a Twenty One Pilots shirt. Yes. Everyone in this room has a Tumblr.

It looks less like a club and more like some sort of nerdy birthday party in someone’s older brother’s bedroom. People are scattered across rugs and two beat-up couches, and there’s a tv in wheels in the middle of the room plugged into three gaming systems (one of which is a Wii; the other two Keith doesn’t recognize.) There’s a table full of snacks, ranging from the mundane like chip bags and apple slices to a literal, giant Toblerone. One of the ten pound ones, and it looks like people have been picking at it bit by bit. There’s a small group in the corner playing cards, a curly haired kid is pulling a hamster out of his backpack, and another girl is playing the ukulele. 

Something tells Keith this isn’t an actual club, rather just a group of nerds in an old rec room that somebody somehow got the keys to.

“Alright fuckers, listen up,” comes a voice from the center of the room, and a person in a green sweater stands up. Keith has trouble discerning their gender, and the glasses that take up half their face don’t help aid him much. “The time of year has come where we have to pretend we actually do stuff here, meaning I get to do club paperwork while you guys mess around. You know the drill. Warren’s in charge of Netflix and if anyone orders a pizza, pineapple isn’t allowed.” There are a few groans in response to the second statement, and another kid, presumably Warren, sticks his tongue out at the other and goes to turn on the TV.

Unsure of what to do, Keith finds an empty spot on one of the couches and takes a seat. He surveys the area around him, looking for a familiar face, someone he at least knows the name of, but there isn’t anyone he recognizes. After a moment of staring off into space, he pulls out his phone.

 **Me:** Okay what is going on why am I here  
**Me:** This is not a club this is just a giant nerd party and I don’t know anyone here  
**Shiro:** It’s a club.  
**Shiro:** They have school funding and everything, though it just goes to pizza from what I could tell.

 **Me:** How do you even know about this

 **grapes:** TALK TO THE PERSON IN THE GREEN SWEATER KEITH

Wait- what?

 **Me:** Matt who is the person in the green sweater and how do you know them

 **grapes:** i’m doing your job 4 u keith go talk to the person in the green sweater  
**grapes:** they’re only like 12% cooler than you  
**grapes:** so it won’t be awkward

Keith looks up and sees the person about 10 feet away from him, chatting animatedly with two others, one of whom is scribbling on a clipboard, and they’re bouncing with excitement as they talk. They look familiar, but Keith can’t place where he knows them.

 **Adam:** You’ll enjoy the conversation.

 **Shiro:** Adam, babe, that’s the creepiest thing you possibly could have said

 **grapes:** yeesh

 **Me:** Yeah,,,, not helping  
**Me:** They're short. I'm intimidated. 

**Shiro:** Why is that intimidating

 **Me:** The shorter u are the closer u are to hell

 **grapes:** valid

Speak of the devil and he shall come, apparently, because as soon as Keith sends his reply there’s a clipboard being shoved in his face, and green sweater person is standing above him. Close up, Keith can see the freckles scattered across the person’s face and down their arms, a couple of which are connected into a little dipper shape in brown eyeliner pencil on their left cheek. Two other stars sit in the outer corner of each eye, framed by a pair of huge, circular wire glasses. Half their hair is pulled up in a bun and the rest is hanging down in soft waves that just kiss their chin, and are cut in an awkward choppy fashion that somehow suits them and their aesthetic. They’ve got dark eyelashes and a sweet smile, and needless to say, Keith is shook.

“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. I’m Pidge,” they say, and set the clipboard on the table in front of him. “I’m the club president, and part of paperwork and shit is that I have to get all of the members’ info. You know, so the school thinks we do stuff other than play old Wii games and watch ghost hunting shows,” Pidge then hands Keith a pen with little alien faces on it and points to the bottom of the page. “I just need your name.”

“I’m gay,” he replies, not thinking. Alarm bells start ringing in his head. 12% is a lie, Keith's definitely the most uncool person on the planet. “I mean, Keith. I’m Keith.”

It’s quiet for a moment. Keith swallows awkwardly, and Pidge just blinks. 

“So, that’s first name Keith and last name Gay? Or are you gay and named Keith?” They ask.

Keith hates himself. “Yes. To the second one. Well, pan, not gay. You know what, let me just-” He takes the pen and clipboard and quickly scribbles down his name and school email. Pidge takes it and looks at it for a moment before humming and returning the clipboard to their side.

“Okay, well, make yourself at home, Keith. The snack table is a free for all, so if you want anything I suggest you grab it now. Warren- the brown haired kid in front of the TV -is putting on some weird documentary about these robot lion things that we’re supposed to believe actually exist. There are usually three or four card games going at all times that you can jump into, and if you wanna play D&D, the girl in the beanie over there is Steph. Talk to her. And I’m sure someone will start a Mario Kart game later,” Pidge explains. They motion to the rest of the group. “Welcome to… eh, welcome to whatever we nerds are doing.”

They’re gone as soon as they came, and Keith is left alone, confused, and a little starstruck.

 **Me:** Well  
**Me:** They seemed nice

 **Shiro:** Yeah?

 **Me:** Kinda cute

 **grapes:** NDJSKAGHFAGMLKGNV;h;;HJK  
**grapes:** phase 1 complete

 **Adam:** Are you happy now, Matthew?

 **grapes:** YES VERY  
**grapes:** I WOULD BE HAPPIER IF U STOPPED CALLING ME MATTHEW BUT OTHER THAN THAT I AM ECSTATIC

Keith does not comprehend.

 **Me:** ??????  
**Me:** I'm sorry what  
**Me:** Somebody fucking explain to me what’s going on here who did I just talk to

 **Adam:** The person you just talked to, Pidge, is Matthew’s younger sibling and he’s trying to get you two to go on a date because you both have a Mothman kink or something.

 **grapes:** *GASPS* ADAM!

Keith slams his phone down and quite literally face-tables, swearing loudly as he sits back up and earning the attention of a few people nearby and a hush from a girl behind him. Ignoring her, Keith’s eyes roll up to the ceiling, and he wonders for what feels like the billionth time why he’s friends with Matthew Holt.

 **Me:** Okay listen  
**Me:** Pidge seems nice and yes they’re (pronouns???) cute but this really isn’t as funny to me as it apparently is to you  
**Me:** I’m not a total loner like you guys think, I’ve got you three and Allura and I hang out with her uncle sometimes

 **Adam:** Is that the mustache guy we’re pretty sure is an alien?

 **Me:** Yes  
**Me:** But I don’t need you guys trying to set me up with people, ESPECIALLY not for dates

 **grapes:** YOU JUST CALLED THEM CUTE TWICE KEITH  
**grapes:** nd ya its they/them

 **Shiro:** Keith, we’re just looking out for you. It’d be nice for you to have a best friend plus you knowing Pidge means Matt can drag them along with us and you two won’t have to feel awkward since they know everyone here but you  
**Shiro:** And for the record Matt is the one who ships you guys Adam and I are just trying to get you two to talk a little bit

 **Adam:** Not exactly. I’m just along for the ride honestly, but yeah Pidge is cool and you wouldn’t have to be a fourth wheel anymore.

 **Me:** Y'all are- wait

Keith is about to retaliate, _beyond_ annoyed with Matt, but considers this.

 **Me:** So when the three of you drag me with you on dates and are being gay and gross, I can invite Pidge along to talk about how gay and gross you all are  
**Me:** Because they’re in the same boat and can suffer with me

 **Adam:** Exactly what I’m getting at.

 **Me:** k  
**Me:** Only because they’re a family friend and because you guys are disgusting though you guys don’t get to just dictate my social life  
**Me:** I’m not your Sim

 **grapes:** aren’t u????

The phone is muted from there on out. 

Keith recognizes Shiro’s concern and his boyfriends’ good intentions, but it’s easy for the three of them to go overboard. Keith met Matt and Adam only shortly after meeting Shiro and was roped into their lives as well, meaning he got two more older brother figures hovering over his head. Is it irritating? Yes. Does Keith love them anyway? Also yes. So he decides to give it a try.

Reluctantly, Keith stands up and makes his way across the room and over to Pidge’s side. They’re nose deep in paperwork, writing so fast Keith’s pretty sure they’re just scribbling, and stopping every so often to drum their fingers against the table. Keith takes a seat beside them, and when Pidge looks up they greet him with a smile.

“Bored?” They ask, setting their pen down on the table. Keith hums.

“Mhm. I don’t exactly know anyone here, and you were the only one who came up and introduced yourself, so. I'm doing my best not to be a loner.” Keith gestures to the papers in front of Pidge. “Do you need any help with all this?”

Pidge shakes their head. “Nah, there’s nothing you could do really considering you’ve never been here before. It’s just something I have to do every couple of months to make it look like we’re actually doing something productive. The school doesn’t know that we just fuck around and use the funding for pizza, and honestly, with the tuition being as high as it is none of us feel bad about what we’re doing.”

Keith snorts. “So what do they think you do?”

Pidge huffs, shrugging their shoulders. “I don’t know? Right now we’ve got them thinking we’re writing magazine articles. Last year we sent the school a 100 page essay on why the Earth is flat, but I could only take that pain for so long that the paper ended up being two pages of bs, the Bee Movie script, and a bibliography. I’m certain the school never read it. It was so awful,” Pidge’s face scrunches up. “I’m minoring in astrophysics and I have so much shame.”

Keith busts out laughing, unable to take Pidge seriously. They were definitely a Holt. Shaking his head, Keith takes the paper sitting on the table in front of them and gives it a quick read through. “So, what’s this one about?”

“The Earth being shaped like a cereal bowl,” they say proudly. “Because, you know, if it was really flat, all the water would just pour out of the sides."

 _These are my people,_ Keith thinks.

“Alright, let me see what you’ve got so far.” He begins reading again. “Cereal bowl. The moon is a hologram, nice. Lizard people. Mind control. Good stuff.” Keith slides the papers back toward them. “I think this is shitty enough that you could just hand it over and it wouldn’t get read anyway.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic. That’s my goal.” Pidge then gathers up the papers, staples them, and throws them aside. Literally, they just throw the paper on the floor, then turn to Keith, chin resting on their hands. He snorts, and they grin innocently.

“So. Now that that’s done with,” Pidge begins. “Tell me about yourself, Keith Gay.”

As you would expect, the conversation that follows is utterly ridiculous.

Pidge, Keith discovers, is utterly ridiculous, and the two of them have the exact same sense of humor (Keith decides this when the words “Bigfoot is real and I kicked his ass in a Denny’s parking lot” are spoken). He learns they’re genderfluid, they know more about computers than seems humanly possible, and that rambling runs in the Holt family. They work at a flower shop, drink a lot of coffee, and own 5 cacti, each of which is named after a different Scooby-Doo character. Pidge learns that Keith’s into creative writing, martial arts, and keeps an emergency machete underneath his car (those are the exact words he used. “Emergency machete”.) He holds the world record for the fastest time to eat 10 jelly beans without using his hands and owns 23 knives that's he's too scared to touch. 

“Why do you keep buying knives then?!” Pidge asks through a belly laugh.

Keith sputters. “I don’t- I don’t fucking know! They look cool! And I’ll be ready if someone breaks in!”

Pidge snorts, shaking their head. “But you need 23 of them.”

“I live here half of the time and at my brother’s place the other half. So they’re split 5-18,” he explains. “He won’t let me have more than 5 at a time.”

Pidge hums. “Valid.”

Suddenly, a blue haired girl who Keith doesn’t recognize walks up and drops a pizza box in front of the two of them. “I made sure to save some for you since you paid for dinner, Pidge. There’s like, half a pizza in there still, plenty for you and the hot emo guy.”

Pidge fist bumps her. “Hey thanks, I appreciate- wait, fuck off!”

The girl snickers and runs off as Pidge continues to yell at her. Keith thinks he sees Pidge blush, but he's not entirely sure. “I’m sorry about her- you know what? I’m gonna open this box, and there’s gonna be a pineapple pizza in here. Watch.”

Pidge reaches down to open the box, fingertips just brushing the cardboard. They freeze, and the rest of the universe seems to slow to a stop as well, waiting with bated breath. They shake their head. “No, it's a pineapple pizza. I can't do it.”

“You know Schrodinger’s Cat?” Keith asks. Pidge cocks an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, why?”

“According to that logic, that's going to be both a pineapple pizza and a regular pizza at the same time until one of us opens that box. So maybe if we try really, really hard, we can will a pepperoni pizza into existence,” Keith explains. 

After a moment’s hesitation, Pidge decides that this is solid, squeezes their eyes shut, and waits a few moments before lifting the lid. 

It’s a pineapple pizza.

“FUCKING SHIT BISCUITS-” Pidge screeches, and there’s cackling from across the room. Blue girl one, Pidge zero. They’re absolutely livid, mumbling something their breath. Pidge's brows are furrowed, and Keith, who’s trying not to start suffocating with laughter, takes a slice and shoves it in his mouth, just to see their reaction. Just as he expected their jaw drops.

“Sorry, Keith, I don’t think we can be friends,” they say immediately, closing the box. Keith opens it again.

“I’m sorry, does this offend you?” Keith teases, taking another bite and laughing as Pidge gags.

“Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.”

At some point, they end up on the floor. Keith's head is resting on his balled up hoodie and Pidge is on their crossed arms. The lights are mostly out now, and they're quietly talking as everyone else mocks the documentary playing on the tv. 

“I actually know a Coran, weirdly enough,” Keith says at one point. Pidge hums. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And my brother, his boyfriends and I are all convinced he's an alien. Which is why this is scaring me a little bit.”

Pidge snorts, then suddenly frowns, and turns to look at Keith. “Wait, boyfriends? As in, plural?”

Shit, that’s something Keith had forgotten to mention. “Oh. Sorry, yeah. I'm Shiro's brother. He, Matt and Adam kinda harassed me to coming here tonight.” He decides to leave out the whole shipping thing as well as the ‘you both have a Mothman kink’ comment because he has dignity. But Keith feels his cheeks darken.

Seconds later, Pidge's eyes light up in recognition. “Wait- you're the cryptid brother! That Shiro’s always talked about but I've never met!” They say, sounding pretty excited. Shiro talked about him? Keith worried about the kinds of things he’d say. 

“I'm his… cryptid brother?” Keith asks.

“Yeah. Because nobody ever sees you. Damn, I should have figured it out as soon as you mentioned the knife thing,” they explain, rolling onto their back. This is when Keith notices there are plastic stars taped to the ceiling: he can see them in the reflection of Pidge's glasses. 

He lays back as well. “Yeah. Like I said, I live in their apartment half the time, so I'm pretty close with all of them. Matt's kind of like a brother to me, too, in some weird way. And Adam? He just scares me, to be perfectly honest with you.”

Pidge laughs aloud at that. “True. He's a really sweet guy, but I don't think I've ever seen him blink.”

“We keep a tally on the fridge. Every time someone notices him blinking, we add one. It's not a very big number considering we've had it up for 6 months.”

“Shut the fuck up,” they reply, shaking their head. Keith's nod only makes them grin wider. And when he turns to look at them, Keith is shook yet again. 

They spit random odd facts and bad jokes at each other for another hour until the club members start to head out. Pidge, being the club president and the one who always takes home the leftover snacks, is the last to leave, and Keith lingers until they’re done locking and cleaning everything up. He ends up with a half-full bag of Doritos and three questionable brownies (see: probably edibles) and shoves them in his school bag before throwing it over his shoulder.

“Well, thanks for hanging out with me,” Keith says as the two of them walk out of the meeting room door. They flash him a bright smile, one that makes Keith’s brain do a gay thing again.

“You don’t have to thank me, dude, I had fun. It’s nice seeing new faces every once in a while,” they reply. Suddenly, something clicks in their head, and they’re reaching in their bag for that same alien pen they had earlier. “Hold on- give me your hand,” Pidge says, and Keith obliges. They scribble some numbers into his palm along with a shitty Mothman doodle, then click the pen closed.

“Cool,” they say, shoving the pen behind their ear. “We can catch up later, yeah?”

Keith nods. “Sure. Night, Pidge. Nice meeting you.”

“Mm, ditto. Goodnight.”

Keith looks down at the numbers in his palm, the corner of his lips quirking into a slight smile. He puts the number into his phone quickly, deciding on the name “Pidgeon” for the contact, and shoots a quick text to them so that Pidge can do the same. 

As soon as Keith turns the corner and Pidge is sure he’s out of earshot, they drop to their knees and let out a long, loud squeal into their palms. They then pull their phone out, biting down hard on their thumb to keep from freaking out even more, and open up their texts.

 **Me:** hol y fucking shit  
**Me:** boys, romelle,

 **zelda:** That me I am Romelle

 **Me:** yes hun i know  
**Me:** i met someone tonight AND I AM GAY

 **marshmallow friend:** aaaaaaAAAAAAAA  
**marshmallow friend:** SPILL THE TEA  
**marshmallow friend:** I NEED EVERY DETAIL

 **thot magee** : oh my shit I need to know EVERYTHING PIDGE WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE WHAT DO THEY SMELL LIKE DO THEY DESERVE THE LANCE SEAL OF APPROVAL

 **Me:** in due time, friend  
**Me:** i’ll tell u guys everything when i’m back at the dorm

 **zelda:** OMG

 **Me:** all i’ll say now is, he's very much a nerd and literally started talking about schrödingers cat at one point  
**Me:** and i discovered that i am VERY, VERY GAY

 **thot magee:** we know, pidge  
**thot magee:** we know.

**Author's Note:**

> if you're wondering why keith's contact name for matt is grapes i'll explain that later lmao,,,, (it's actually a joke from the fic every group chat needs a gryffindor jock which my wife wrote go read it its funny) also i have a lil hc that pidge hated makeup because it made them feel too feminine but romelle and lance started doing shit like doodling constellations on their face and giving them galaxy eyes and now they love it just let me live
> 
> yeetus


End file.
